Method of manufacturing a dressing package

ABSTRACT

A method of making a packaged dressing involves coating a pattern of detachable high tack pressure sensitive adhesive on a cover material such that the cover material includes a tackless area; forming a release island on a backing material; and sandwiching a dressing between the cover material and the backing material such that the adhesive on the dressing abuts the release island, and the pattern of adhesive on the cover material adheres to and supports the dressing along its extent except for the portion overlying the tackless area and hermetically seals the dressing within the package.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of and claims priority to, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/537,224, filed on Jun. 29, 2012, which, in turn,claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/572,747, filed Jul. 20, 2011. The disclosures of all of the foregoingare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if fully setforth herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This disclosure relates generally to packaging, and, more particularly,to a method of packaging a dressing designed to be affixed to the skin,such as a dressing for a wound, a medicated patch or a nasal dilatorstrip.

2. Background

Dressings designed to be applied to the skin come in an almost limitlessarray of shapes and sizes. Moreover, such dressings are used in manydifferent ways. Since, they are designed to be applied to the skin, itis important that they not harbor pathogens that could cause (orincrease) any undesirable adverse effect or adversely affect the desiredbenefit they are intended to have, particularly in the case of medicinaldressings. Thus, common to all, is often the need to package them in away that allows them to remain sterile until use is required and toallow them to be easily removed from the package and applied to the skinwhen use is required.

It has long been a known problem that, if a user of such a dressing hasto touch the part of the dressing intended to be applied to the skinduring application, it increases the risk of contamination of thedressing with undesired pathogens. In addition, many packages that areconfigured to address the above problem are either difficult to open andapply the dressing without undesirable touching and potentialcontamination of the dressing or are more costly to manufacture becausethey employ elaborate multi-piece configurations involving multiplesteps.

Moreover, such dressings are sold by the millions on an annual basis. Atthe volumes manufactured and sold, even a slight cost increase in themanufacturing process (whether due to the need for additional materialsand/or processing steps) can have a significant effect on profits.

Thus, there is still a need for a way to manufacture a package for adressing that has a lower material and/or manufacturing processing costand will still maintain a dressing in sterile condition until neededand, when use is required, be easy to use, and can help avoidundesirable touching and potential contamination of the dressing whileit is affixed to the skin.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One aspect of the invention involves a method of making a packageddressing for a dressing having a width, an extent and a perimeter. Thedressing includes a skin adhering side having an affixation adhesivethereon, and a back side opposite the skin adhering side. The dressingfurther has a first terminus at one end of the extent and a secondterminus at the other end of the extent, the second terminus defining anopening end for the packaged dressing. The method involves coating afirst surface of a cover material with a detachable high tack, pressuresensitive adhesive in a predetermined pattern on the surface of thecover material such that (i) the first surface of the cover materialincludes at least one tackless area which is devoid of adhesive anddisposed to correspond to and encompass at least a substantial portionof an edge of the first terminus and at least a portion of the surfaceof the cover material just beyond the edge of first terminus, (ii) thehigh tack, pressure sensitive adhesive forms at least a closed shapethat encompasses within it both the tackless area and a dressingreceiving area, and (iii) the high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive isdisposed to affix the back side of the dressing to the first surface ofthe cover material along the extent of the dressing except for thetackless area when the back side of the dressing is brought into contactwith the high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive on the first surface ofthe cover material.

The method also involves forming a release island on a first surface ofa backing material, the release island having a size and shapecorresponding to the width, extent and perimeter of the dressing.

The method further involves sandwiching the dressing between the firstsurface of the cover material and the first surface of the backingmaterial such that (i) the skin adhering side of the dressing will be incontact with and substantially correspond to the release island, (ii)substantially all of the extent of the back side of the dressing will bein contact with, and held by, the high tack, pressure sensitive adhesiveon the first surface of the cover material, (iii) a substantial portionof the edge of the first terminus of the back side of the dressingoverlays the tackless area and defines an application end for thedressing, and (iv) the closed shape of high tack, pressure sensitiveadhesive forms a hermetic seal about the dressing encompassing at leastthe entire perimeter of the dressing and the tackless area on the firstsurface of the cover material.

Another aspect of the invention involves a method of making a packageddressing, the dressing having a width, an extent and a perimeter, thedressing comprising a skin adhering side having an affixation adhesivethereon, and a back side opposite the skin adhering side, the dressingfurther comprising a first terminus at one end of the extent and asecond terminus at the other end of the extent, the second terminusdefining an opening end for the packaged dressing. The method includescoating at least a portion of a first surface of a cover material with adetachable high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive. The method furtherincludes modifying the tack of at least one predetermined area of thedetachable high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive in a predeterminedpattern so that the at least one predetermined area becomes a tacklessarea bounded by unmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive, andsuch that, following the modifying, the high tack, the pressuresensitive adhesive that was not subject to the modifying will beunmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive and will include adressing receiving area, the predetermined area being located (i) so asto correspond to and encompass at least a substantial portion of an edgeof the first terminus and at least a portion of the surface of the covermaterial just beyond the edge of the first terminus, (ii) such that theunmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive will be disposed toaffix the back side of the dressing to the first surface of the covermaterial along most of the extent of the dressing when the back side ofthe dressing is brought into contact with the unmodified high tack,pressure sensitive adhesive on the first surface of the cover materialin the dressing receiving area.

The method also involves forming a release island, on a first surface ofa backing material, having a size and shape corresponding to at leastthe width, extent and perimeter of the dressing.

The method additionally involves sandwiching the dressing between thefirst surface of the cover material and the first surface of the backingmaterial such that (i) the skin adhering side of the dressing will be incontact with and substantially correspond to the release island, (ii)substantially all of the extent of the back side of the dressing will bein contact with, and held by, the unmodified high tack, pressuresensitive adhesive in the dressing receiving area on the first surfaceof the cover material, (iii) a substantial portion of the edge of thefirst terminus of the back side of the dressing overlays the tacklessarea, and (iv) the unmodified high tack, pressure sensitive adhesivewill form a hermetic seal encompassing at least the entire perimeter ofthe dressing and the tackless area.

The foregoing has outlined rather generally the features and technicaladvantages of one or more embodiments of this disclosure in order thatthe following detailed description may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages of this disclosure will be describedhereinafter, which may form the subject of the claims of thisapplication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This disclosure is further described in the detailed description thatfollows, with reference to the drawings wherein the same referencenumber in different figures represent the same thing, and in which:

FIGS. 1 a through 1 k illustrate, in simplified form, differentrepresentative examples of some types of prior art dressings that can bepackaged using the approach described herein;

FIG. 2 illustrates, in simplified form, an exploded view of thestructural components of one example variant of a package 200 accordingto one variant of the present approach;

FIG. 3 illustrates, in simplified form, an exploded view of thestructural components of an alternative example variant of a package

FIG. 4 illustrates, in simplified form, a surface of an example covermaterial;

FIG. 5 illustrates, in simplified form, a cover material configurationsuch as shown in FIG. 4, usable for constructing a 1 by “n” array ofindividual packages;

FIG. 6 illustrates, in simplified form, a configuration such as shown inFIG. 4, usable for constructing an “n” by “m” array of individualpackages;

FIG. 7 illustrates in simplified form an alternative example of arectangular cover material;

FIG. 8 illustrates, in simplified form, an alternative example of acircular cover material;

FIG. 9 illustrates, in simplified form, one more alternative example ofa cover material;

FIGS. 10 a through 10 g illustrate, in simplified form, somerepresentative, non-exhaustive, non-limiting, examples of covermaterials onto which patterns have been applied;

FIGS. 11 a through FIG. 11 g illustrate, in simplified form, the examplecover materials of FIGS. 10 a through 10 g with a representative ovaldressing abutting the adhesive on the cover material;

FIGS. 12 a through 12 f, are similar to FIGS. 11 a through 11 f, exceptthat FIGS. 12 a through 12 f illustrate portions of the cover materialsof FIG. 11 and the outline of a rectangular dressing;

FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 illustrate, in simplified form, representative,non-limiting examples of backing materials which could be used with thecover materials of FIGS. 10 and 11;

FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 illustrate, in simplified form, representative,non-limiting examples of backing materials which could be used with thecover materials of FIG. 12;

FIG. 17 illustrates, in simplified form, a side view cross section of apackage 1700 constructed using one variant of the process herein;

FIG. 18, illustrates, in simplified form, an example cover materialsuitable for an optional alternative variant of the approach herein;

FIGS. 19 a through 19 c respectively illustrate, in highly enlarged (butnot to scale) simplified form, a cross section of a portion of the coverof FIG. 18 when part of a package;

FIG. 20 a through 20 f illustrate, in simplified form, the use of thepackage of FIG. 17;

FIG. 21 illustrates, a simplified representative example of aprogressive package formation sub-variant approach; and

FIG. 22 illustrates, in simplified example form, a sub variant processedas described herein for construction of a unified package configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In simplified overview, the package described herein is designed to bemanufactured for use with any type of dressing described herein. In thisregard, for purposes of understanding, FIG. 1 illustrates, in simplifiedform, different representative examples of some types of prior artdressings with which can be packaged according to the approach describedherein.

Note that, as used herein, the term “dressing” is intended to mean andencompass any material of any length or width that includes anaffixation adhesive located on one surface of the material and that isdesigned to be removably or releasably affixed to a person's skin bythat adhesive for remedial or protective purposes. Examples of dressingspackage-able as described herein include, conventional bandages (such asshown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,612,267 and 2,823,672, with orwithout a gauze or other protective pad), hydrocolloid external wounddressings (for example, dressings made from Avery MED5573H 10 mmhydrocolloid film or other of the numerous commercially availablehydrocolloid dressings), transdermal medicated patches, wound closurestrips (also referred to as “butterfly bandages”) and nasal dilatorstrips, to name a few. Note that these representative examples are notexhaustive and are merely intended to illustrate some variants of thosedressings for purposes of understanding the packaging approach herein.In addition, while certain shapes, sizes and types are presented in FIG.1, it is to be understood that the packaging approach variants describedherein can be used with any size and shape dressing, the particularsize, shape, material or physical construction of the dressing beingirrelevant or unimportant to understanding the present application orclaims.

Turning now to the specifics in FIG. 1, FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1 cillustrate, in simplified fashion, some examples of more commonlyrecognizable wound dressings that can be packaged using the approachdescribed herein. Specifically, FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1 c illustrate someexamples of conventional bandages, such as sold by Johnson & Johnsonunder the Band-Aid brand in both facing (i.e. skin adhering surfaceside) and side view.

The dressing 100 a of FIG. 1 a is made up of a bandage attachmentmaterial 102 of a thickness “t”, an (optional) pad 104 which isgenerally sized and shaped for wound coverage, and an affixationadhesive 106 on at least a portion of the skin-side surface of thedressing which adheres the pad 104 to the attachment material 102 and inuse, when applied, is intended to affix the dressing to skin. Dependingupon the particular dressing, the thickness “t” of the attachmentmaterial 102 can be quite thin and the attachment material 102 itselfcan be exceedingly limp, loose, floppy or flexible.

FIG. 1 b illustrates a wound dressing 100 b configured in a “patch”shape, meaning that it is essentially square or slightly rectangular inshape, but otherwise is similar to the wound dressing of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 1 c illustrates a wound dressing 100 c configured in “spot” shape,i.e., it is essentially circular or slightly oval in shape, but isotherwise similar to the wound dressing of FIG. 1 a.

FIGS. 1 d, 1 e and 1 f illustrate, in simplified fashion, some examplesof known dressings of the hydrocolloid type 110 a, 110 b, 110 c. Thedifferent shapes shown are intended to illustrate that all shapes ofthese types of dressings can also be packaged according to theapproaches described herein. As shown in FIGS. 1 d, 1 e and 1 f, thesedressings also have an affixation adhesive 106 on at least a portion ofthe skin-side surface of the dressing and, in some cases, the dressingscan have a tapering reduction in thickness 112 closer to the perimeteredge (110 a, 110 b) or can be of relatively uniform thickness 114 aboutthe perimeter edge.

FIGS. 1 g and 1 h illustrate, in simplified fashion, some examples ofanother known type of wound closure dressings 120 a, 120 b. These typesof dressings 120 a, 120 b are designed to act like sutures and span acut-type wound to hold both sides of the cut together. FIG. 1 gillustrates a “butterfly” style wound closure 120 a and FIG. 1 hillustrates a “strip” style wound closure 120 b. Again, as above, thesedifferent dressings are shown to illustrate that all shapes of thesetypes of dressings can also be packaged according to the approachesdescribed herein. As with the above these dressings 120 a, 120 b have anaffixation adhesive 106 on at least a portion of the skin-side surfaceof the dressing, but may or may not specifically have affixationadhesive 106 in the region 122 that will be directly over the wound(shown in FIG. 1 g as the region between the two dashed lines).

FIGS. 1 i and 1 j illustrate, in simplified fashion, some examples ofknown dressings of the transdermal patch type 130 a, 130 b. As above,these different shapes are intended to illustrate that all shapes ofthese type dressings can also be packaged according to the approachesdescribed herein. As shown in FIGS. 1 i and 1 j, these dressingssimilarly have an affixation adhesive 106 on at least a portion of theskin-side surface of the dressing. In addition, such dressings typicallyare either impregnated with, or include a reservoir containing, theformulation 132 to be delivered transdermally via some or all of theskin-side surface of the dressing 130 a, 130 b following application tothe skin.

It should be further understood that these packaging approaches are notlimited to use with dressings associated with wounds or drug delivery.In this regard, FIG. 1 k illustrates, in simplified form, a differenttype of dressing that can be packaged according to the approachesdescribed herein. As shown, the dressing 140 of FIG. 1 k is a nasaldilator strip type dressing. Nasal dilator strips typically includesaffixation adhesive 106 at least near each end 142, 144 and may, or maynot include adhesive near the central section 146. The adhesive is usedto affix one end 142 of the dressing 140 to the skin on one side of thenose covering the alar fibrofatty tissue on that side of the nose andthe other end 144 of the dressing 140 to the other side of the nose onthe skin covering that side's alar fibrofatty tissue. The dressing 140further includes a spring material designed to, when the dressing 140 isaffixed to the nose, exert a force that drives the two ends 142, 144away from each other and towards a flat configuration, thereby helpingto keep the nostrils in an open position.

From the above, it should now be understood that the packaging approachdescribed herein can be used with any type of removable dressingintended for application to the skin that includes adhesive on the skincontact side and, for which it is desirable to maintain the dressing ina sterile state while packaged.

Advantageously, the packaging approach variants described herein usefewer overall components and, thus, are simpler, than such otherapproaches.

By way of example, FIG. 2 illustrates, in simplified form, an explodedview of the structural components of one example variant of a package200 according to one variant of the present approach. The package ismade up of a cover material 202, a backing material 204, and a dressing206 sandwiched between the cover material 202 and backing material 204(with the adhesive side 208, i.e. skin affixation side, of the dressing206 facing a release island area on the backing material 204) such thatthe dressing 206 will be hermetically sealed between the two by a hightack, pressure sensitive adhesive (not shown) the details of which aredescribed in greater detail below. Thus, unlike other packages, thevariants described herein provide a potentially significant cost savingsby eliminating some of the materials typically used in other packagesand, consequently, can reduce the number of steps involved in creationof the package, providing further savings thereby. One end 210 of thepackage is designated the “opening end” and that end 210 is the end bywhich the package will be opened. As will further be described below,through the processing described herein, the opposite end 212 of thepackage will be specifically configured to facilitate application of thedressing after opening.

FIG. 3 illustrates, in simplified form, an exploded view of thestructural components of an alternative example variant of a package 300that is similar to the variant of FIG. 2, except it includes oneadditional component. Specifically, this package 300 variant is made upof a cover material 202, a backing material 204 a, a dressing 206, and arelease island component 302 that is a different material from, andphysically bonded to, the backing material 204 a in any appropriatemanner. Numerous suitable methods of bonding a release island component302 to a substrate are well known in the dressing packaging art, and theparticular method used is unimportant to understanding the instantinvention. Thus, for simplicity and brevity, those methods are notdescribed herein.

With the variant of FIG. 3, the dressing 206 is sandwiched between thecover material 202 and the release island component 302 bonded to thebacking material 204 a such that the dressing 206 will similarly behermetically sealed between the cover material 202 and backing material204, as in FIG. 2, by a high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive (notshown) but with the adhesive side (i.e. skin affixation side) 208 of thedressing 206 abutting the release island component 302 on the backingmaterial 204 a as opposed to a release island area of the backingmaterial 204 of FIG. 2.

Although the structure of FIG. 3 uses one additional component, therelease island component 302, and requires at least one additional stepto bond the release island component 302 to the backing material 204 a,a savings can still result relative to other packaging approaches asshould be evident from the rest of the description.

Moreover, as is to be understood from the following description,additional benefits and advantages to the user flow from the instantpackaging approach, which could lead to users prefer a package createdaccording to one of the variants described herein over other availablepackages, resulting in increased sales volumes.

To further understand the packaging approach, some terminology as usedherein and general configuration information will now be discussed withreference to FIGS. 4 through 21.

FIG. 4 illustrates, in simplified form, the surface of an example covermaterial 400 that will face the backside of an example dressing (theperimeter 402 of which is represented in this figure by a line ofalternating dots and dashes) as described herein for one variantpackage. The shape of the cover material 400 and dressing placementlocation are pre-selected for manufacture so that the cover material 400exceeds both the extent 404 and width 406 of the dressing with which itwill be used by an amount sufficient to allow adhesive to encompass theentire perimeter 402 of the pertinent dressing as will be described.

It is to be further understood that, depending upon the particularimplementation involved, the variants described herein can be created ona single unit basis such as shown in FIG. 4, or, as is more likely formass production, on a multi-unit basis. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates,in simplified form, a cover material configuration such as shown in FIG.4, usable for constructing a 1 by “n” array 500 of individual packages,where “n” is any desired number. Similarly, FIG. 6 illustrates, insimplified form, a configuration such as shown in FIG. 4, usable forconstructing an “n” by “m” array 600 of individual packages, where “n”and “m” are any numbers, and may or may not be equal to each other (i.e.the array of FIG. 6 could be a square array where “n”=“m” or arectangular array where “n”≠“m”).

Moreover, the shape of the cover need not substantially correspond tothe shape of the dressing with which it will be part of a package. FIG.7 illustrates in simplified form an alternative example of a rectangularcover material 700 surface on the side that will face the backside of anexample oval shaped dressing as described herein (the perimeter 702 ofwhich is again represented by a line of alternating dots and dashes).Again, the dressing placement location relative to the cover material700 is pre-selected for manufacture so that the cover material 700exceeds both the extent 704 and width 706 of the dressing with which itwill be used by an amount sufficient to encompass the entire perimeter702 of the pertinent dressing.

FIG. 8 illustrates, in simplified form, an alternative example of acircular cover material 800 surface on the side that will face thebackside of an example square shaped dressing as described herein (theperimeter 802 of which is again represented by a line of alternatingdots and dashes), for example to allow multiple such packages to bestored or dispensed from a cylindrical tube. Yet, again, the dressingplacement location relative to the cover material 800 is pre-selectedfor manufacture so that the cover material 800 exceeds both the extent804 and width 806 of the dressing by an amount sufficient to encompassthe entire perimeter 802 of the pertinent dressing.

FIG. 9 illustrates, in simplified form, one more alternative example ofa cover material 900 showing the surface on the side that will face thebackside of an example circular dressing as described herein, theperimeter 902 (i.e. circumference) of which is again represented by aline of alternating dots and dashes. Note that, for circular dressings,the extent 904 and width 806 are both equal and equate to the diameterof the dressing. For purposes of explanation, irrespective of the typeof dressing, as a convention, the term “extent” will be used herein torefer to a direction along the (intended) package opening direction andthe “width” will be used to refer to a direction substantiallyperpendicular to the extent.

Thus, it should now be understood that any combination of cover materialshape and dressing shape can be used together provided the two areproperly sized and positioned consistent with the description herein,and that different arrays and combinational approaches can be employedfor purposes of manufacture.

With the above in mind, different variants of the packaging approachwill now be described with reference to the remaining figures. Note thatthis aspect of the process presumes that a suitable cover material andbacking material have already each been selected and, if multiple covermaterial and/or backing material components are to be createdconcurrently or sequentially (or some combination thereof), theunprocessed cover and/or backing material will be appropriately arrayedand situated for the steps that follow. Similarly, a detachable hightack, pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) compatible with the covermaterial and backing material (for bonding them to each other as part ofthe process) will also have been selected. Moreover, the detachable hightack, PSA will have been selected from among those suitable forremovably bonding the selected cover material to the selected backingmaterial when they are brought together to seal the package. Note herethat when referring to an adhesive used in creating the package, theterm “detachable” is intended to mean a removable PSA that can withstandthe rigors of service without unintentional detachment, can bepurposefully detached without the need to re-attach (and may, or may noteven be able to thereafter be re-attached). Moreover, even ifreattachment is possible it will not hold with the same force, nor willit withstand the rigors of service in the same manner as the initialattachment, and it can suffer from unintentional detachment thereafter.

Now the cover material-related sub process will be discussed.

The cover material is arranged within conventional machinery capable ofapplying, and configured to apply, a predetermined pattern of thedetachable high tack PSA onto the cover material. Note that the term“pattern” is used because, not only does the entire surface of the covermaterial not need to be covered, having areas either (i) withoutadhesive or (ii) where parts of the adhesive has had its tackinessrendered ineffective so that the remaining tacky adhesive forms apattern, is an intentional and mandatory part of the process.

Depending upon the particular implementation of the process, thedressing, and the adhesive-applying machinery, the predetermined patterncan be any pattern provided that it meets at least two essentialcriteria. First, the pattern must be such that, when the final packageis constructed, part of the pattern of detachable high tack PSA willform a closed shape that encompasses within it the entirety of thedressing to allow for formation of a hermetic seal about the dressing.Second, the pattern of the detachable high tack PSA must be arrangedsuch that it will substantially affix the back side of the dressing tothe cover across its width and along its extent, with the exception of aspecific area to be described in greater detail below. The purpose ofthis is to ensure that substantially all of the extent of the dressingwill be affixed to, and supported by, the cover when the backing isremoved as part of the application process. The pattern can be appliedusing any machinery capable of applying a pattern of adhesive in thismanner, however, it is believed that pattern printing of the adhesiveprovides advantages over other approaches in terms of, for example, costand speed. A representative supplier who can perform pattern coating orpattern printing of adhesives in the manner described herein is RayvenInc., of 431 Griggs Street N., St. Paul, Minn. 55104.

FIGS. 10 a through 10 g illustrate, in simplified form, somerepresentative, non-exhaustive, non-limiting, examples of covermaterials onto which patterns (representing some of the limitlesspatterns that could be used to fulfill the above criteria) have beenapplied. Note that, each also includes a specific area that, dependingupon the particular variant, either (i) is devoid of adhesive or (ii)has been detackified/deactivated, these will described in greater detailbelow. An area which is either devoid of adhesive or has beendetackified/deactivated will be referred to as a “tackless area”hereafter.

Specifically, FIG. 10 a illustrates a cover material substantiallycovered with a pattern of evenly spaced apart, linearly-aligned dots ofadhesive 1002. Those dots of adhesive 1002 are peripherally bounded attheir extreme edge by a pattern of slightly larger, partiallyoverlapping dots 1004. These overlapping dots 1004 form the closed shapeused to form a hermetic seal about a dressing. There is also a tacklessarea 1000 a bounded by the dots of adhesive 1002, 1004, near an edgethat will be at the end opposite from the end from which the packagewill be opened. FIG. 10 b illustrates a cover material with a pattern ofevenly spaced apart, offset rows of dots of adhesive 1006, again boundedat the extreme edge by a pattern of slightly larger, partiallyoverlapping dots 1008 and containing an elongated hexagon or truncatedlozenge shaped tackless area 1000 b near an edge that will be at the endopposite from the end form which the package will be opened. FIG. 10 cillustrates a cover material with a pattern of evenly spaced apart linesof adhesive 1010, the outermost ends of which are connected to eachother by a pair of lines of adhesive 1012, 1014 running perpendicular tothose lines 1010. A substantially rectangular-shaped tackless area 1000c is present near an edge that will be at the end opposite from the endfrom which the package will be opened. FIG. 10 d illustrates a covermaterial with a mixed pattern 1016 of adhesive made up of differentlength parallel lines 1018, 1020, 1022 of differing spacing,interspersed with dots 1024 of adhesive, with its overall perimeterbounded by a rectangle 1026 of adhesive for hermetic sealing. As withthe prior figure example, the cover material of FIG. 10 d also includesa substantially rectangular tackless area 100 d. FIG. 10 e illustrates acover material with a pattern of intersecting lines 1030, 1032 ofadhesive, with the lines having varying spacing between them along theirlength. In addition, FIG. 10 e also includes a substantially oval shapedtackless area 1000 e. FIG. 10 f illustrates a cover material with a“cross hatch” pattern of perpendicularly intersecting lines 1034, 1036of adhesive. FIG. 10 g illustrates a cover material with a pattern madeup of part of an example pattern of irregular shapes, in this case anoval arc 1038 of adhesive as well as some dots 1040 and differentlyoriented lines 1042, 1044 of adhesive.

As will now be seen, the placement of the tackless area relative towhere the dressing will be is pre-specified in order to ensure aspecific interaction between the cover and dressing. However, in generaloverview, a tackless area will at least be located near where theterminus of the dressing that will be farthest from the end of thepackage from which the package will be opened and partially underlie,and partially extend beyond, that terminus. Note here that the tacklessarea is said to “underlie” the dressing because it is between the back(i.e. non-skin facing side) side of the dressing and the adhesive sideof the cover material, irrespective of the orientation of the covermaterial in space. Thus, in the same vein, part of the dressing will“overlay” the tackless area irrespective of the orientation of the covermaterial in space.

Specifically, to illustrate one set of examples as to how the packagingapproach causes specific interaction between cover materials anddressings, FIG. 11 a through FIG. 11 g each illustrate, in simplifiedform, the representative, non-exhaustive, non-limiting, example covermaterials of FIG. 10 a through 10 g with the back (i.e. non-skin facingside) side of a representative oval dressing 1102 (shown in peripheraloutline only) abutting the adhesive on the cover material in the mannerit would in the final formed package (and for the time between openingof the package and application of the dressing to the skin). As can beseen in each of FIGS. 11 a through 11 g, notwithstanding the areas wherethe dots and/or lines of adhesive have been applied, the dressing 1102will be adhered to, and supported by, the cover material via thatadhesive along its extent and width, less the specific portions of thedressing 1104, 1106, 1108, 1110, 1112, 1114, 1116 (in FIG. 11 aindicated by cross hatching) that overlie the respective tackless areas.In addition, note that the tackless area of each is placed such that italso has a portion extending beyond the end periphery of the terminus ofthe dressing 1102. Advantageously, as can be seen, the fact that apattern of adhesive was applied, instead of coating the entire surfaceof the cover material, allows for the saving of adhesive while stillproviding the requisite adherence and support along the extent of thedressing. Note further that, in FIG. 11 g, the oval arc 1038 of adhesiveis of sufficient width such that it both underlies the perimeter of thedressing 1102 (shown as partially transparent), other than in thetackless area, so as to adhere the dressing perimeter to the covermaterial and also extends beyond the outer perimeter of the dressing sothat it will adhere the cover material to the backing material duringpackage assembly.

FIGS. 12 a through 12 f, are similar to FIGS. 11 a through 11 f, exceptthat FIGS. 12 a through 12 f illustrate portions of the cover materialsof FIG. 11 and the outline of a rectangular dressing 1202. As can beseen if FIGS. 12 a through 12 f, by virtue of the adhesive pattern, therectangular dressing will similarly be adhered to, and supported by, thecover material along its extent except for the portion 1204, 1206, 1208,1210, 1212, 1214 (again shown by cross-hatching) where the tackless areaunderlies the dressing 1202 and extends slightly beyond its terminus1216.

With the above in mind, it should now be noted that the tackless areacan be formed differently, depending upon the particular process variantused to create the package. Specifically, it can be created as part ofthe adhesive application process itself or as part of a secondarysub-process following the adhesive application process.

For example, if the adhesive is applied using a pattern printingprocess, the tackless area can be integrated with and part of thepredetermined pattern by allocating it as an area of the required sizeand shape where adhesive will not be applied. Alternatively, creation ofthe tackless area can occur after the adhesive pattern is applied bydeactivating or detackifying some part(s) of the pattern of appliedadhesive with a subsequent sub-step. To do so, the high tack PSA wouldbe selected to be of a type and composition such that that is capable ofbeing selectively deactivated or detackified in the intended areawithout affecting the tackiness in other areas where continuingtackiness is desired. Example, non-exhaustive, representative knownmethods for deactivating or detackifying PSA's include: UV curing,application of heat or cold, use of a dispersible adhesive materialremovable by selective exposure to a solvent or washing away of atackifier or plasticizer, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,726,250, cooling a PSA composition to below its melting point (forexample, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,035), exposing a light curing PSAcomposition with a photoinitiator to light, whether UV or some otherwavelength in the visible or non-visible spectrum (for example, as inU.S. Pat. No. 6,184,264), or some other approach appropriate to theparticular adhesive, the particular approach used for selectivelydetackifying or deactivating some of the adhesive being unimportant tounderstanding the process described herein. The foregoing patents areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

A related approach to selectively detackifying the high tack PSA wouldbe to use a pattern printing process with a material that is itself (orcan become) non-tacky and will be applied as an overcoat to cover orbind to the PSA where applied or to substantially eliminate thetackiness in the area to cause that area to become the tackless area,for example, overcoating with a varnish, a curing agent or othersubstance or material. In other words, the related approaches employ anadditional material of some sort that can be applied in a pattern, likeby pattern printing, and will (in some manner) react with or cover thePSA in a selected area so as to convert that area into a tackless areaand thereby define a pattern made up of the remaining undetackified ordeactivated (i.e. unmodified) adhesive.

In a simpler case, although it is more expensive because it involvesanother component, separate physical “guard” component(s) (of any typeincluding paper, polymer sheet material or other material) shaped like(parts or the whole of) the desired tackless area can be applied to aprerselected area of the cover material such that it is non-removablyaffixed to the cover material by adhesive on the cover material andthereby becomes the tackless area.

Having described the cover material component of the packaging, now thebacking material component will briefly be discussed.

In the simplest case, the backing material is sized and shaped so as tocorrespond to the size and shape of the cover material when the packageis formed. In other words, if single unit packages will be created, thebacking will also be single units sized to correspond to their covermaterial counterpart (for example, the single unit of FIG. 4).Similarly, if a linear array of cover materials (for example, the arrayof FIG. 5) will be used to create the package, a corresponding lineararray of backing material will be used Likewise, if a 2-dimensionalarray of cover materials (for example, the array of FIG. 6) will be usedto create the package, a corresponding array of backing material will beused. Of course, more complicated mix and match configurations of singleunits and different configuration arrays can be constructed and all areconsidered to be within the scope herein.

The backing material is processed to create a release island on thebacking material sized and shaped so that when the affixation adhesiveon the skin side of the dressing contacts the release island it willneither adhere to the release island nor will it materially affect theaffixation adhesive's ability to later adhere the dressing to skin. Asnoted previously, the release island can be a separate conventionalrelease liner which incorporates known release coating technology usingappropriate silicone or fluorochemical compound(s), for example asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,480 (incorporated in its entiretyherein by reference) and is permanently bonded to the backing material.Alternatively, a portion of the backing material itself, correspondingto at least the perimeter of the dressing which will be packaged betweenthat backing material and the cover material, can be treated so that theportion becomes the release island and functions, in known manner, asthe release liner with respect to the dressing but leaves the remainderof the backing that will be part of the package able to adhere to thecover via the adhesive pattern on the cover. Note, that any appropriateknown method for creation of the release island can be employed.Accordingly, since there are many ways of doing so and none areessential per se to understanding the packaging approach describedherein, the details of doing so need not be elaborated on herein.

The release island is sized and shaped so as to at least substantiallyconform to the size and shape of the dressing and at least encompassesthe area where the affixation adhesive containing side of the dressingwill be placed. While it would be possible to use a release islandidentically corresponding in size and shape to the dressing with whichit will be used, as a practical matter it is understood that having arelease island that is slightly larger than the periphery allows forslight deviations/imperfections in placement of the dressing.

Alternatively, in some variants where a physically separate releaseisland component is used, the release island can be abutted against theaffixation adhesive side of the dressing prior to bonding to the backingmaterial such that placement of the dressing and the release islandcomponent will occur concurrently, thereby ensuring proper placement ofone relative to the other and relative to the cover material and backingmaterial combination.

FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 illustrate, in simplified form, representative,non-limiting examples of backing materials 1300, 1400 which could beused with the cover materials of FIGS. 10 and 11. Each respectively hasa release island 1302, 1402 thereon, in this instance, intended for usewith an oval dressing. In FIG. 13, the release island 1302 is simply atreated area of the backing material 1300 itself, whereas, in contrast,in FIG. 14, the release island is a separate component 1402 whoseperimeter 1404 is slightly larger than the perimeter 1406 of theintended dressing 1408.

FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 illustrate, in simplified form, representative,non-limiting examples of backing materials 1500, 1600 which could beused with the cover materials of FIG. 12. Again, each respectively has arelease island 1502, 1602 thereon, in this instance, intended for usewith a common elongated rectangular dressing. Like in FIG. 13, thebacking material 1500 of FIG. 15, has a release island 1502 that issimply a treated area of the backing material 1500 itself. In contrast,in FIG. 16, the release island is a separate component 1602 whoseperimeter 1604 is slightly larger than the perimeter 1606 of theintended dressing 1608.

At this point, it should be noted that, for some variants, creation ofthe cover material with its patterned adhesive could occur entirelybefore creation of the backing material with its release island, whereas for other variants, the backing material can be created entirelybefore the cover material, and with still other variants, creation ofthe cover material and backing material could occur partially orentirely concurrently.

Now, once both the cover material and backing material have beencompletely created, creation of the final package is straightforward.The dressing is located between the side of the cover materialcontaining the pattern of adhesive and the side of the backing materialcontaining the release island (as shown in exploded views in FIGS. 2 and3) positioned such that one terminus of the dressing overlies thetackless area in the manner described above and the peripheral perimeterorientation of the dressing substantially corresponds to the releaseisland perimeter. The cover material and backing material are broughttogether such that the part of the pattern of adhesive on the covermaterial corresponding to the dressing will adhere to the dressing asdescribed above, and the remainder will removably attach the covermaterial and backing material together such that the high tack PSAbetween the cover material and backing material will form a seal, ofclosed shape, encompassing the entire periphery of both the dressing andthe tackless area, thereby forming a hermetic seal about the dressingand the tackless area.

FIG. 17 illustrates, in simplified form, a side view cross section of apackage 1700 constructed using one variant of the process herein.Although not previously described, the end 1702 of the package 1700opposite the end 1704 with the tackless area 1706 will also include someconfiguration to assist in opening the packages. Depending upon theparticular variant, the configuration can range from the formation of apair of flaps 1708 by bending the extreme end of both the cover materialand backing material at the opening end away from each other, such asshown in FIG. 17, or back on themselves in a conventional manner, orusing any other conventional method to facilitate opening via theopening end.

Alternatively, and advantageously, a further optional variant of theapproach can be used to facilitate opening. FIG. 18, illustrates, insimplified form, an example cover material 1800 having a predeterminedpattern of lines 1802 of high tack PSA suitable for such a variantapproach. With this variant approach, a secondary tackless area 1804 isformed on the cover material near the opening end 1806 and whollyoutside the closed shape of adhesive forming the hermetic seal about thedressing 1808 and tackless area 1810 described above. This secondarytackless area 1804 is positioned such that after the package is formedas described above, one of the cover material or backing material can becut or scored following a line 1812 passing through the secondarytackless area 1804. In this manner, the secondary tackless area 1804 canbe used to facilitate opening of the package after creation. This willbe shown for a portion 1814 of this cover as used in a package involvinga cross section taken along A-A.

FIGS. 19 a through 19 c respectively illustrate, in highly enlarged (butnot to scale) simplified form, a cross section of the portion 1814 ofthe cover of FIG. 18 taken along A-A when part of a package 1900. Asshown in FIG. 19 a, in this example, a score or cut 1902 has been madeentirely through one of the materials 1904 (cover or backing) over thetackless area 1906 while leaving the other material 1908 of the package1900 intact and without disturbing the adhesive 1910 that is part of theclosed shape of adhesive which forms the hermetic seal for the dressing1912 (only a small part of the terminus near the opening end beingvisible). By flexing the material 1908 away from the score or cut 1902(FIG. 19 b), the tackless area 1906 allows the part of the materials1904, 1908 sandwiching the dressing to be separated from each other (bymotion of removing the cover material/dressing combination from thebacking, removing the backing from the cover material/dressingcombination, or by splitting the two from each other by pulling equallyon both material parts 1904, 1908) (FIG. 19 c) to open the package 1900.

Thus, one major variant of the package creation process can be summed upas follows:

In one sub-operation, the surface of a cover material which will contactthe back side of a dressing is coated, in a predetermined pattern, witha detachable high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive. The pattern of PSAis such that:

-   -   (i) the surface of the cover material includes at least one        tackless area. The tackless area is devoid of adhesive and        disposed to correspond to and encompass at least a substantial        portion of an edge of the terminus of a dressing that is        farthest from the intended opening end of the package as well as        a portion of the surface of the cover material just beyond the        edge of first terminus (in the direction away from the opening        end);    -   (ii) the high tack, PSA forms at least a closed shape that        encompasses within it both the tackless area and a dressing        receiving area; and    -   (iii) the high tack, PSA is disposed to affix the back side of        the dressing to the surface of the cover material along the        extent of the dressing (except the tackless area) when the back        side of the dressing contacts the high tack, PSA on the surface        of the cover material.

In another sub-operation, a release island is formed on one surface of abacking material, with the release island having a size and shapecorresponding to the width, extent and perimeter of the dressing.

The sub-operation involving patterning adhesive on the cover materialand the sub-operation involving creation of the release island on thebacking can occur in any order or overlap in time, in whole or part.

In an additional sub-operation, a dressing is sandwiched between theadhesive-containing first surface of the cover material and the firstsurface of the backing material. The dressing placement is such that:

-   -   (i) the skin adhering side of the dressing will be in contact        with and substantially correspond to the release island;    -   (ii) substantially all of the extent of the back side of the        dressing will be in contact with, and held by, the high tack,        PSA on the surface of the cover material;    -   (iii) a substantial portion of the edge of the terminus of the        dressing farthest from the intended opening end of the package        overlays the tackless area and, thereby defines an application        end for the dressing; and    -   (iv) the closed shape of high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive        forms a hermetic seal about the dressing, with the hermetic seal        encompassing at least the entire perimeter of the dressing and        the tackless area on the first surface of the cover material.

An alternative major variant of the package creation process cansimilarly be summed up as follows:

In one sub-operation at least a portion of a surface of a cover materialis coated with a detachable high tack, PSA. Then, the tack of at leastone predetermined area of the detachable high tack, PSA is modified in apredetermined pattern so that the at least one predetermined areabecomes a tackless area bounded by unmodified high tack, PA. Theunmodified high tack, PSA will include a dressing receiving area that islocated (i) so as to correspond to and encompass at least a substantialportion of an edge of the terminus of the dressing that is farthest fromthe intended opening end of the package and at least a portion of thesurface of the cover material just beyond the edge of the terminus, and(ii) such that the unmodified high tack, PSA will be disposed to affixthe back side of the dressing to the surface of the cover material alongthe most of the extent of the dressing when the back side of thedressing is brought into contact with the unmodified high tack, pressuresensitive adhesive on the surface of the cover material in the dressingreceiving area.

In another sub-operation, a release island is formed on a surface of abacking material, with the release island having a size and shapecorresponding to at least the width, extent and perimeter of thedressing.

Again the immediately preceding two sub operations can occur in anyorder or overlap in time, in whole or part.

In a further sub operation, the dressing is sandwiched between thesurface of the cover material and the surface of the backing materialsuch that: (i) the skin adhering side of the dressing will be in contactwith and substantially correspond to the release island; (ii)substantially all of the extent of the back side of the dressing will bein contact with, and held by, the unmodified high tack, PSA located inthe dressing receiving area of the cover material; (iii) a substantialportion of the edge of the terminus of the dressing farthest from theopening end overlays the tackless area; and (iv) the unmodified hightack, PSA will form a hermetic seal encompassing at least the entireperimeter of the dressing and the tackless area.

Note that, with both of the foregoing major variants, the sandwichingsub-operation can involve different sub variants, for example, one subvariant could involve bringing the dressing into contact with the PSA onthe cover before the cover and backing are brought together. Anothersub-variant could involve placing the dressing on the release islandbefore the cover and backing are brought together. Yet anothersub-variant could have the cover, dressing and backing all progressivelybrought together from one end to the other. FIG. 21 illustrates, asimplified representative example of this progressive package formationsub-variant approach in which the patterned adhesive 2100 and covermaterial 2102 combination are fed in known manner from one source (notshown), the backing material 2104 is fed in known manner from anothersource (not shown) and the individual dressings 2106 are sequentiallyfed in known manner from a third source (not shown) so they are allbrought into contact with each other at essentially the same time insubstantially the same location 2108.

An advantageous byproduct of the variants described herein is that thecreated package makes application of the dressing to the skin easier.This is shown in the sequence of FIG. 20 a through 20 f whichillustrates, in simplified form, the use of the package of FIG. 17 (i.e.an example package constructed according to one variant of the processdescribed herein).

Specifically, FIG. 20 a illustrates the package 1700 after the backingmaterial 204 has been peeled away along most of the entire extent of thedressing 206. Note that the dressing 206 continues to be adhered to, andsupported by the cover material 202 by the pattern of adhesive 2002 onthe cover material 202.

FIG. 20 b illustrates the cover material 202 and dressing 206combination after the backing material 204 has been fully removed and isplaced just above a skin surface 2004. At this point it is worth notingthat a further advantageous byproduct of some of the variants describedherein is that curling or arching of the cover material 202 end(s) in adirection away from the dressing 206 can be avoided or minimized so asto be negligible.

FIG. 20 c illustrates the cover material 202 and dressing 206combination as the affixation adhesive on the skin side of the dressing206 is brought into contact with the skin surface 2004.

FIG. 20 d illustrates the cover material 202 and dressing 206combination following the affixation adhesive on the skin side of thedressing 206 affixing the dressing 206 to skin surface 2004 andimmediately prior to removal of the cover material 202. To effect theremoval of the cover material 202, the end containing the tackless area1706 is lifted as shown in FIG. 20 e. Advantageously, because thetackless area 1706 underlies a portion of the terminus of the dressing206, it is easy to release the dressing 206 from the cover material 202via this end because the tackless area 1706, in effect, “breaks theseal” formed by the pattern of adhesive holding the dressing 206 to thecover material 202, thereby, as shown in FIG. 20 f, allowing it to bepeeled back off the dressing 206 with substantially less force thanwould be required to dislodge the dressing 206 from the skin and allowthe dressing 206 to remain in place.

On a related note, with some variants, the cover material 202 andbacking material 204 could be the same material and, in some cases, bepart of the same sheet (i.e. have “unified” package components). FIG. 22illustrates, in simplified example form, a sub variant processed asdescribed herein for construction of a unified package configuration.With such variants one portion 2202 would be treated as the covermaterial and patterned with the adhesive and have a tackless portion2204 as described herein, with the tackless portion placed closest tothe portion 2206 which will serve as the corresponding backing material.The portion 2206 which would serve as the backing material would betreated, or have a component attached to it, to form the release island2214 as described herein. A package would then be created by foldingabout the line 2208 between the cover portion 2204 and the backingportion 2206 with the dressing in between the two portions. Note that,with this configuration the fold line will advantageously mostefficiently be located at the application end of the package and theedges 2210, 2212 of the two portions 2202, 2206 farthest from each otherwill most efficiently be located at the opening end of the package.

Finally, with respect to wound dressings and drug delivery dressings inparticular, and likely other dressings as well, it will be desirable tosterilize the package (or its components individually), either before asterile dressing is inserted or after the completed package is formed.This aspect is irrelevant to understanding the invention or the variousimplementation variants and can be performed by any known process thatdoes not preclude the package from being created as described herein or,if already created, destroy its ability to perform as intended. As aresult, in some cases, the sterilization approach will be limited by themake up of the items used to create the package or, the items used tocreate the package will be influenced by the intended sterilizationmethod. The ability to handle the interrelationship of materialselection and sterilization is well within the knowledge of those ofordinary skill in the art, so it is not discussed herein. In fact, it ispossible that the sterilization process could, in some variants, be partof the process of forming a tackless area, for example, if it involvesapplication of light outside the visible spectrum, application of heat,exposure to a particular fluid, etc.

Materials

Having now described the process, for purposes of understanding, a briefexplanation of materials that can be involved in the process will now bedescribed.

Depending upon the particular intended configuration, differentmaterials can be used in the process described herein as the variouscomponents. In this regard, it should be understood that the particularmaterials may depend, for example, on the particular dressing to bepackaged, whether, and to what extent, the cover material or backingmaterial may contain printing, whether there is a need or desire foreither or both of the cover material or backing material to betransparent, translucent or opaque in whole or part, the specificpackage adhesive to be used, etc. Thus, the mention of any particularmaterials below are intended to be exemplary and neither limiting norexhaustive.

A representative example material suitable for use as the cover materialis removable clear polypropylene No. FP0862, commercially available from3M, 1030 Lake Road, Medina, Ohio 44256-0428. However, any commerciallyavailable material which is adhesive-compatible and sufficiently stiffenough to resist curling or arching of the dressing when the covermaterial and dressing are adhered together will work.

A representative example material suitable for use as the backingmaterial is uncoated, 32 lb, 25% cotton fine finish paper, commerciallyavailable from numerous sources. However, any material which canincorporate a release island as described herein and which is adhesivecompatible such that, in combination with the cover material andadhesive, it can form a hermetic seal about a dressing can be used.Where a separate release liner is used as the release island, Uline 40lb super calendared bleached kraft paper treated with an appropriatesilicone or fluorochemical compound, or other known release linermaterial can be used.

Suitable removable high tack, pressure sensitive adhesives for film orpaper include, by way of non-limiting example, Fasson® brand R3500 PSA,commercially available from the Fasson division of Avery Dennison Corp.,Miller Corporate Center, 150 North Orange Grove Boulevard, Pasadena,Calif. 91103. Again, any other removable high tack, pressure sensitiveadhesive from this same source, or any other source, that is compatiblewith the selected cover material and backing material can be used.

To ensure completeness and provide ancillary details relating todressings, release island/release liner creation, available covermaterials per se, available backing materials per se, and dressingpackaging in general, the entire disclosures of each of the followingU.S. Patents and U.S. Published Patent Applications are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein: U.S.Pat. Nos. 8,084,665, 8,021,347, 7,858,838, 7,521,586, 7,518,031,6,905,100, 6,878,385, 6,838,589, 6,822,132, 6,706,940, 6,573,421,6,495,230, 6,350,339, 6,297,422, 6,225,522, 6,184,264, 6,149,614,6,124,522, 6,008,429, 5,998,694, 5,951,505, 5,755,681, 5,738,642,5,726,250, 5,685,833, 5,511,689, 5,423,737, 5,415,627, 5,412,035,5,397,297, 5,336,162, 5,160,315, 5,106,629, 5,018,516, 4,915,228,4,832,008, 4,706,662, 4,513,739, 4,472,480, 2011/0257574, 2011/0166492,2010/0222731, 2009/0187130, 2009/0082710, 2008/0281246.

It should be understood that this description (including the figures)only includes some illustrative embodiments. For the convenience of thereader, the illustrative embodiments of the above description is arepresentative sample of all possible embodiments, a sample that teachesthe principles of the invention. The description has not attempted toexhaustively enumerate all possible variations. That alternateembodiments may not have been presented for a specific portion of anyvariant, or that further non-described alternate embodiments may beavailable for a portion of a variant, is not to be considered adisclaimer (intentional or unintentional) of those alternateembodiments. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that many of thosenon-described embodiments incorporate the same principles of the claimedinvention and that others are equivalent thereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of making a packaged dressing, thedressing having a width, an extent and a perimeter, the dressingcomprising a skin adhering side having an affixation adhesive thereon,and a back side opposite the skin adhering side, the dressing furthercomprising a first terminus at one end of the extent and a secondterminus at the other end of the extent, the second terminus defining anopening end for the packaged dressing, the method comprising: A) coatinga first surface of a cover material with a detachable high tack,pressure sensitive adhesive in a predetermined pattern on the surface ofthe cover material such that (i) the first surface of the cover materialincludes at least one tackless area which is devoid of adhesive anddisposed to correspond to and encompass at least a substantial portionof an edge of the first terminus and at least a portion of the surfaceof the cover material just beyond the edge of first terminus, (ii) thehigh tack, pressure sensitive adhesive forms at least a closed shapethat encompasses within it both the tackless area and a dressingreceiving area, and (iii) the high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive isdisposed to affix the back side of the dressing to the first surface ofthe cover material along the extent of the dressing except for thetackless area when the back side of the dressing is brought into contactwith the high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive on the first surface ofthe cover material, B) forming a release island on a first surface of abacking material, the release island having a size and shapecorresponding to the width, extent and perimeter of the dressing; C)sandwiching the dressing between the first surface of the cover materialand the first surface of the backing material such that (i) the skinadhering side of the dressing will be in contact with and substantiallycorrespond to the release island, (ii) substantially all of the extentof the back side of the dressing will be in contact with, and held by,the high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive on the first surface of thecover material, (iii) a substantial portion of the edge of the firstterminus of the back side of the dressing overlays the tackless area onthe cover and defines an application end for the dressing, and (iv) theclosed shape of high tack, pressure sensitive adhesive forms a hermeticseal about the dressing encompassing at least the entire perimeter ofthe dressing and the tackless area on the first surface of the covermaterial.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein “A)” and “B)” occur in anyorder.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein “A)” and “B)” occur, at leastpartly concurrently.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:forming a second tackless area between the cover material and thebacking material outside the closed shape near the second terminus endto facilitate opening of the packaged dressing prior to use.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising: scoring a line into one of thecover material or the backing material passing through the secondtackless area.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating the firstsurface of the cover material with a high tack, pressure sensitiveadhesive in a predetermined pattern comprises: pattern printing the hightack, pressure sensitive adhesive onto the first surface of the covermaterial.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the pattern printingcomprises: pattern printing the high tack, pressure sensitive adhesiveas a series of lines.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the series oflines comprise: at least three evenly spaced lines.
 9. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the series of lines comprise: at least two intersectinglines.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the series of lines comprise:at least one line extending along the extent from about the secondterminus to the tackless area.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein theseries of lines comprise: at least two lines oriented in a directionsubstantially corresponding to the width of the dressing.
 12. The methodof claim 6, wherein the pattern printing comprises: pattern printing thehigh tack, pressure sensitive adhesive as a pattern of dots.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the pattern of dots include at least twodots of different sizes.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the patternof dots include multiple dots having a size in common with each other.15. The method of claim 12, wherein at least some dots in the pattern ofdots partially overlap.
 16. The method of claim 6, wherein the patternprinting comprises: pattern printing the high tack, pressure sensitiveadhesive as a pattern of irregular shapes.
 17. The method of claim 1,wherein the cover material and the backing material are the same andshare a common edge and wherein “C)” includes folding along the commonedge.